Bridal gown designer,
Julianne Marchione knows better than to lose her head at a client’s
wedding. But, much to her embarrassment, a mix of migraine medication
and a smoking hot football player lead to a steamy one night stand
resulting in a surprise pregnancy. Julianne has every intention of
leaving her NFL hookup far in the past until her son, Owen, is born with
a life-threatening blood disorder that requires a transfusion—and
Julianne is not a match.

Will "William the Conqueror" Connelly
grew up tough, shouldering the stigma of being a bastard child born on
the wrong side of the tracks. He refuses to let any child face the same
discrimination. When he finds out about Owen, he’s furious that Julianne
kept his son a secret. But when he sees her again at the hospital, he
realizes that his feelings for her go far beyond anger.

Will
insists that Owen recuperate at his home in North Carolina, and he’s
adamant that Julianne become his wife—even if it’s only a temporary
marriage in name only. But will their simmering attraction ever lead to a
real connection? Or are they just playing foolish games?

Julianne and Will had a one-night fling. Nine months later, unbeknownst to Will, Julianne gives birth to little baby Owen. Julianne had planned never to tell Will, but Owen is sick and needs Will's blood for his medical treatment. Will is angry that Julianne did not tell him that he was a father. Julianne agrees to marry Will and live with him, so Owen gets a chance to know his father. Julianne and Will struggle to find common ground, while Julianne's brother investigates Will and Will's former football coach for intentionally harming opposing football players on the field.

This is another contemporary romance that is perfect for fans of the alpha male protagonist. At one point, Will thinks to himself that he wants to hit Julianne but he knows that he can't do that, so he is going to kiss her instead. A few times, Will does put his hands on Julianne. During one of these moments, Will's mother sees him do this and kicks him out of the house. I know this is the MO for alpha males, but this just sends up red flags for me. Fortunately for me (maybe not for the alpha male fans), most of the fighting ends about halfway through the book as Julianne and Will begin to trust each other.

I must admit that I liked the secondary characters more than Julianne and Will. In fact, I felt that the secondary characters like Will's teammates and Will's mother were written more consistently and were more believable. Will's teammates and mom were like a breath of fresh air, because they seemed more realistic about Julianne and Will's situation (they didn't think jumping into a marriage was the best idea) and more grounded (they didn't think yelling at Julianne first and asking questions later was a good plan). Unlike these secondary characters who sent the same message time and time again, Will and Julianne seemed to change their minds on a regular basis. The change in their opinions and attitudes seemed to come from the need to keep the anger or love making going. For example, a few times, Will starts psychoanalyzing Julianne in an effort to just be cruel. This behavior didn't feel right for who Will was as a character, but it helped keep the fighting (and crying) going.

This book has a secondary romance that I thought was quite sweet. Will's mom and his team manager end up falling in love. In "real life," I don't see this type of relationship working. I think it would be a bit awkward for everyone; however, in these type of serial romances, everyone falls in love, so I am okay with it. This romance has a tiny bit of fighting, but these two characters are able to share their feelings and talk openly. It was sweet, and I wish I got to see more of their romance.

Overall, this book is better suited for romance readers who like alpha male heroes. Will's behavior worried me, and I wouldn't want a friend of mine dating him. Of course, this is a romance novel, and with the love of a good woman, Will won't be cruel to her ever again. I really liked several of the secondary characters, and I need to see if Brody Janik (one of Will's teammates) has his own book in this series. He seemed a bit more thoughtful than Will.

For me, this book was just okay, so it receives a 2 out of 5. If you have different feelings on alpha males, you might like this book better than me.

Ok no, my alpha males never hit a woman, if anything they are over protective of their woman..but violence..nope. Hard sex..oh yeah but this would have turned me off completely. Wonderful review Pamela.

The guy never hits the woman in this book, but he keeps getting close. I like a strong guy and he can be in charge in the bedroom, but thinking "he wants to hurt her so he better kiss her instead," no way. This is not an okay message to be sending out.

Good review! No, this isn't for me. I absolutely agree that it sends the wrong message. And I agree with Kimbacaffeinate: the alpha males in the romances I enjoy are never abusive, physically or emotionally. They are fiercely protective, even overprotective, and while they may not have an easy time acknowledging or expressing their softer feelings (the one thing about them I find annoying), they would never do anything to harm a woman, particularly one they are involved with, and they find the idea of violence toward women abhorrent.

I agree. I like a protective male, but not a domineering male lead in my romances. This has been a bad week for female characters in books that I read. I read two romances with icky alpha males and A Feast for Crows by GRR Martin. I need to read something happy!